Part 2 of ‘Problems losing weight or keeping it off?’
By Kareen Nagel Naturopath
Is Insulin Resistance preventing you from losing weight ?
Insulin Resistance is the precursor to Type 2 Diabetes and may cause resistant weight loss and weight gain especially around the middle.
Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas and helps glucose from your blood to enter your body cells for energy production, insulin also acts as a primary fat storing hormone.
If your body has become Insulin resistant it means that your body cells have lost the ability to respond to insulin and its ability to assist glucose to enter your body cells and as a consequence your blood glucose levels begin to rise, but not getting into your cells to provide you with energy, so you become increasingly fatigued and crave more carbs and sugar. As the pancreas produces more and more insulin to try and clear the excess glucose from the blood, the elevated insulin also begins to store more fat, especially around the abdomen.
An enlarged waist may be the first sign of insulin resistance.
Some of the symptoms a person with insulin resistance and blood sugar irregularities may experience are:
- Increased fatigue
- Mental fogginess
- Mood changes
- Shakiness
- Cravings for sugar and carbohydrates
- Increased hunger
- Resistant weight loss
- Increased weight gain especially around the middle
Contributing factors or aggravating factors can be:
- Irregular meals or skipping breakfast
- Consuming processed foods
- High sugar snacks, beverages, juices, alcohol
- Refined low fibre carbohydrates, pasta, bread, rice, potatoe, bakery goods…
- Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is often associated with Insulin Resistance
In the early stages of insulin resistance you may just experience only problems with blood sugar irregularities and weight gain, if not corrected your body will gradually show signs of Metabolic Syndrome the precursor to Type 2 Diabetes.
Signs of Metabolic Syndrome may be:
- Elevated insulin
- Elevated fasting blood sugar
- Increased LDL Cholesterol (the bad type)
- Decreased HDL Cholesterol (the favourable type)
- High Triglycerides (fat in blood)
- Elevated Uric Acid
- Waist measurement > 102 cm Male , > 90 cm Female
Our Naturopathic weight control programs will include a thorough medical and dietary history, further pathology testing if indicated and a Bio-Impedance Analysis Test to provide an accurate record of your body composition (body fat, muscle, hydration), cellular health, fluid balance, cellular energy production and ideal targets specific to you. Once your naturopath has collected infomation about your specific health, they can then prescribed effective treatments to target the issues that apply to you.
To make an appointment with a naturopath at Brisbane Natural Health, call us on 07 3367 0337 or click here.
